


Two Photographs

by hellenberg



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/F, Flash Fic, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27771145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellenberg/pseuds/hellenberg
Summary: A quick, short fic -- one scene of Max and Victoria at Blackwell, from a universe that will be kinder to them both.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Victoria Chase
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	Two Photographs

So being assigned to take pictures of the same patch of dirt is dumb as hell, but apparently it builds character, or the ability to appreciate natural lighting conditions, or something. It would certainly be quieter if she were alone.

Max is listening to Victoria curse under her breath, making the minutest adjustments to her setup. Even Warren would notice the aggravation at this point. “Anything I can do to help?”

Victoria’s head whips around. “I don’t need your charity, Caulfield.”

Max shrugs. “Didn’t say you did. Let me take a look.” Victoria goes rigid when Max settles down next to her, casting an interested eye over Victoria’s composition. “Not bad.”

“Are you a professor now?” Victoria can’t quite keep the venom out of her voice.

Max is sitting very close to her. “You know,” she says after a quiet moment, “we don’t have to be rivals.”

“W-what?”

“I said we don’t have to be rivals.” Max reaches for her camera. “If we worked together, it’d be a lot more fun. Hold still, please.” The camera flashes.

Victoria blinks the light out of her eyes. She focuses on the hand waving a freshly-taken Polaroid. “What was that for?” she demands. Max wordlessly hands her the photo.

It’s an impromptu portrait of her, clearly off-guard. Max had timed the shot just right, snapping the pic to catch her momentary surprise. Nobody ever bothers to frame Victoria as wide-eyed and vulnerable, but Max did it, somehow, without an ounce of effort and with a vintage camera to boot.

Victoria’s first instinct is to tear the photograph, just rip it between her fingers until it’s gone, but her breath catches in her throat and she can’t. She hands it back. “It’s decent.”

Max grins. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She doesn’t really get the chance to do anything else before Victoria whips out her phone and steals a photo of her. Well, turnabout is fair play.

“See? That’s the idea,” Max laughs. “Can I see that one?”

Victoria hadn’t bothered with her professional-grade camera, still lying where she’d set it down minutes earlier. (Her talents were being wasted on this stupid still life project.) Now she’s just staring dumbly at her phone’s screen. She’s managed to catch Max with mirth dancing in her eyes, all hipster confidence and freckles, and it may be nothing like her best effort but it looks better than all of the stilted shots that she’s taken all day. No, all week.

She’s kinda pleased with herself.

“Oh, nice!” Max has gotten a good look at the picture too. “That’s really good.”

Victoria tosses her head. “Of course you’d say that.”

Max is still smiling. “Maybe. Hey, you think a gallery would take a pic like that?”

Victoria carefully taps out of the camera app, saving the photo. “No,” she says, “this one’s for me.”

She’s running late for a Vortex Club meeting at this point, so she ought to pack her stuff rather quickly, but Victoria takes her time, if only to enjoy the look on Max Caulfield’s face.


End file.
